Warning for NZRU from former rugby boss

A warning for the NZRU: do not try to host the Rugby World Cup in 2011 unless all the bases are absolutely covered.

Former CEO David Rutherford agrees with the current administration not wanting to use the union's cash reserves to prop up the bid or tournament.

Rutherford says any World Cup and the building of a new giant stadium needs to be underwritten by the Government.

He says without that backing, the loss will be too big.

Rutherford says the Australians and their World Cup profits in 2003 proved huge stadia are needed.

He says 70 per cent of that cash was made in eight matches - all but two of those games were in stadia with a capacity of around 80,000, which were 95 per cent full.

Rutherford says the NZRU needs to realise any World Cup here would run at a loss, and a new national stadium will need to be built, so tens of millions will be needed to cover those two factors.

He says the Government and NZRU need to work out who will cover the loss before they can even consider a serious bid.

The current NZRU board has been discussing a World Cup bid behind closed doors today in Wellington.

- NEWSTALK ZB